Del Bosque wants to make history

Vicente del Bosque has warned Spain's rivals that his side are determined to "make history"

David Villa's goal was enough to knock Portugal out in Cape Town and ensure that Spain progress to a quarter-final meeting with Paraguay which they are heavy favourites to win.

Prior to the start of the tournament, Del Bosque's side were widely tipped to add to their Euro 2008 success by triumphing in South Africa, but their campaign began with a shock defeat at the hands of Switzerland.

However, having responded by securing consecutive victories against Honduras, Chile and now Portugal, Del Bosque is insistent that belief has returned to his talented squad, even if he is keen to ensure Spain remain focused on beating Paraguay.

"We want to make history," Del Bosque said. "The players are motivated. It's a long tournament and we are able to do it.

"We are mistaken if we believe that we are already in the semis. We will not win without resolve and concentration."

Spain took the lead on 63 minutes when Villa collected a sumptuous flick from Xavi and finished past Eduardo at the second attempt. The goal came only four minutes after the disappointing Fernando Torres was replaced by Fernando Llorente, and Del Bosque had words of praise for the Atletico Bilbao striker.

Del Bosque said of Llorente's performance: "He's done a great job. The credit belongs to the players, who have proved what they have inside."

Goalscorer Villa is anticipating a trickier test when Spain face a Paraguay side that defeated Japan on penalties to make their own piece of World Cup history.

"We know what has occurred in previous matches, like against Switzerland. Paraguay will be tougher than Portugal because the side has reached the quarter-finals for the first time," Villa told AS.

"I am very happy for the win, although we suffered a lot. We deserved to win, so I believe the result is fair. They finished really well and individually have two excellent central defenders, but luckily, we were able to take one of our chances.

"My aim is to keep scoring like this, especially in the big matches, so we can advance through the tournament.